29 maart 2017

In the courtyard of the Rijksmuseum Twenthe in Enschede is this sculpture of a suit called ´Legacy Mantle´. It was the kind of uniform coat that Mao Zedong (1893-1976) used to wear in public, and in the West it eventually turned into an icon for the Maoist period and a symbol for Chinese communism in general.

28 maart 2017

The entrance of the Rijksmuseum Twenthe in Enschede, that was founded through the initiative of the Twenthe textile baron Jan Bernard van Heek, who wanted to have his painting collection housed in a new state museum in Enschede. In 1930 the museum was opened at the Lasondersingel.

26 maart 2017

So I took the train to the city of Enschede yesterday to visit the Rijksmuseum Twenthe for their exhibition "In the heart of the Renaissance". Then there was time left for a short visit to the city centre, where I happened to pass 'De Kleine Willem' ('The Little William')- which is one of the locations of the Wilmink Theater.

21 maart 2017

Another interesting artwork by South African artist Joseph Klibansky is this "Equilibrio Iconico", a statue of Miffy that embodies the idea of balance between career, family life and youth. It belongs to the exhibition "Leap of Faith", now in the Fundatie Museum in Zwolle.

In 2015 -when 60 years of Miffy were celebrated- the statue was part of the Miffy Art Parade, to honour Miffy, her creator and fans of all ages worldwide. If you would like to read more about the project and the other artists that took part click HERE.

20 maart 2017

On the corner of the Diezerstraat and Hagelstraat in Zwolle is this ghost sign saying "Kent u onze Haagsche, Saksische en vitamine leverworst?", a Dutch advertisement meaning "Do you know our Hague, Saxon and vitamin liverwurst?". The lit. translation for our 'leverworst' would be 'liver sausage' though according to the web the word 'liverwurst' is used as an anglicization of the German 'Leberwurst'.

Are you still with me? ;)

Here in the Netherlands liverwurst is commonly eaten on sandwiches, or in slices as savoury bites. Apparently the Dutch city of The Hague and Saxony (a federal state of Germany) are known for their own types of liverwurst. And for the word 'vitamin' in the advertisement: liverwurst contains a lot of vitamin A.

The wall advertisement belonged to J.H.G. Alferink, who owned a butchery here from 1940.

17 maart 2017

Recently I showed you a few items from the exhibition "Leap of Faith" with works by South African contemporary artist Joseph Klibansky, currently in the Fundatie Museum in Zwolle. This is another eye-catching item.

"Klibansky's exhibition revolves around our current concept of 'faith', which is no longer experienced strictly from a religious perspective, but felt more as a general sentiment of hope for mankind and the planet's future. This idea is clearly expressed in the larger than life bronze sculpture that gave the exhibition its title. It depicts an astronaut carrying a heavy golden cross, a powerful amalgam of modern and old symbols." (From the museum website)

13 maart 2017

For dozens of years there was an empty frame on a wall along the Papenstraat in Zwolle. Then, on request of the owner of the building, the inside of the frame was examined and old text was discovered underneath several layers of paint. After 150 hours of carefully scraping away paint, 5 different historical wall advertisements were found dating from the period 1890-1955: from a shoemaker, two from a bicycle dealer, and two from a furniture maker.

Two sheets of paper underneath the frame explain what can be seen here. Nice fact is that the cleaning project was named "Project Toverbal" ("The Gobstopper Project"), as -like the candy reveals different colours- each layer dissolves a different item.
For a few more photos from the project go to their website HERE.

10 maart 2017

Following up on yesterday´s post this is another piece by Joseph Klibansky; a wall sculpture with a pink neon text "Nobody ever made me fall in love like this".

"Klibansky's work reflects the world of today, or rather: tomorrow's world. Inspired by technology, fashion, design, architecture, travel and music his work gives shape to a world that balances utopia with nightmare" (from the exhibition "Leap of Faith" in Museum De Fundatie, Zwolle)

9 maart 2017

A really wonderful exhibition currently in the Fundatie Museum in Zwolle is "Leap of Faith" with works by Joseph Klibansky (1984). This South African contemporary artist was born in South Africa and currently lives and works in Amsterdam. The exhibition shows 3 dimensional as well as 2 dimensional pieces, and I must say that especially his polished bronze sculptures were most charming!

This sculpture is named `Bare Hug` (spelled correctly ;). Leap of Faith in the Fundatie is his first solo exhibition in a Dutch museum. Check out his website HERE.

8 maart 2017

The Korte Ademhalingssteeg ("Short Alley of Breaths") connects the Great Church Square with the Central Square in Zwolle. The origin of this name is rather gruesome; it refers to the days in history in which criminals were lead to the scaffold at the central square. In this alley they literally drew their last breaths before being executed.

3 maart 2017

In yesterday's post I mentioned the former city walls of Zwolle; unfortunately very little is left of them. Excavations in 2004 uncovered some parts that originally date from the 13th and 14th century, and obviously these are considered to have a high archaeologist value. On this photo you can see the opening to go inside, but I'm not sure if it is ever open to the public.

1 maart 2017

Searching through my photo archives I found these from the `From Turner to Apple´-exhibition in the Fundatie Museum in Zwolle, back in 2015. The exhibition showed a variety of art works with paintings from William Turner, Piet Mondriaan, Karel Appel and many more. Besides paintings a number of sculptures were shown, like 'Waterfall', a 3D printed sculpture by contemporary artist Eyal Gever (Haifa 1970).

"Turner was fascinated by the force of ocean storms. Eyal Gever too, is attracted by the overwhelming power of the sea. Waterfall is his physical translation of water. This printed sculpture looks like Turner's solidified paint. The medium with which they work could not be more different, but Turner and Gever share their vision on beauty and the sublime". (from the text at the sculpture)